Loved reading this article that Kara Baskin wrote about the long-running Frank’s Steak House in North Cambridge.
Among other things, she observed that Frank’s has outlasted fixtures including the Hilltop Steakhouse and Durgin-Park. Like Kara Baskin before she wrote the article, I have never been. You?
Never but her article has me thinking about it. I like her writing, she really communicates the feel of a place. For example she wrote a really memorable piece on Trattoria Nina last year – of course I still haven’t been there either.
It’s like you are reading my mind. I almost added that I am a fan of Kara’s food writing and boom, you’ve said it!
I just checked out the Early Bird Specials and they are available from opening to 6:00. I’m going. Drat, opening is at 4 and 3:30 except Sundays when they open a noon. Sunday it is then.
We used to go there once in awhile when our kids were small. The staff and early birds were welcoming to the babies and the noise level was just right, not too loud to wake a sleeping baby but not too quiet to where they would annoy other customers if awake.
It’s an old school family place; the kind of joint my in-laws love as the salad is included with your meal and they have london broil on the menu. The food is fine, but nothing worth seeking out. I can cook superior steak at home then even the best steak house in town, so I’m not really going to Franks for their choice beef. I like prime rib but don’t remember being blown away by theirs. I love throwback places, I just wish the food were a touch better at Franks.
Kara’s article made me wonder if the food has climbed up a notch. It noted that Frank’s had a old-school chef (RIP) who favored using frozen foodstuffs, which has changed.
Not that I’ve dined there yet, mind you.
Wow, taking one for the team! I’ll be curious to hear about your experience if you do go.
Thanks for the link.
(A request, though, to all you globalists out there: The Boston Globe has very restrictive policies on who can read their stuff, so if there’s any other way to post articles from that site, please use that. I’d asked early in the short life of HO for the site to create a pdf repository, where we could upload articles, just as we do images, but my request seemed to have been misunderstood. I may try again.)
To return to Frank’s, I used to hear that it was indeed a big hangout for “politicos” (as the article refers to them as). I was told that Tip O’Neill could reliably be spotted there eating steak. Still, like others here, I have not yet been.
(I was going to say that this topic could be subsumed into the “old school places” thread – but that one has such bad karma.)
I was going to write the same thing. This is exactly the kind of place that I think @passing_thru had in mind for that thread. I think that qualifies him as an influencer.
I’d been to Frank’s many moons ago, before renovations / changes in the kitchen and it was a bit stuck in amber. Despite what’s written in the article, I’m putting Frank’s on my list of “where to take mom and dad.” It might be a tastier alternative to Jimmy’s (my parents are no spring onions, but even they laugh at the older folks leaving the restaurant right after noon or before 5 pm).
Places like Frank’s definitely serve a purpose for lots of people.
So far I haven’t been able to figure out a workable solution so I limit myself to the occasional share and cross my fingers that interested folks haven’t yet reached their limit on free articles.
I get it though: Hoping that something will work is not actually a plan. 
Try opening in a different browser. That worked for me at work just now- I always use Chrome as my default browser, and I think the Glob allows 2-3 reads before the paywall requirement kicks in. So I tried opening it in Firefox, and that works - it says I have one more free article.
Good article. I’ve not been to Frank’s, and don’t think I would have liked it in its earlier incarnation, but it sounds like the owner is amping up the menu and drink menu without going crazy on prices.
you can also clear the cookies/cache. Depending on your browser, you can do it for specific sites rather than clearing everything. That’s why the different browser works…it doesn’t know you been there before.
I run CCleaner once a week at work; not often enough at home, but yes, that works as well.
I went today for the Early Bird Special. Not impressed and I’m not going back for the Shrimp Scampi as I had planned.
https://thedailylunch-woburn.blogspot.com/2019/02/franks-steakhouse-cambridge.html
Thanks for taking one in the jaw for the team.
Oh no, that lunch plate looks quite disappointing. The article had me wanting to give Frank’s a try, but the experience you had has certainly changed my mind.
I feel awful especially after the excellent tips you have shared.
Literally. This did not turn out well and I’m sorry the article caught my eye.
How disappointing! Thanks very much for letting us know!
I see you have already made it to Yassou, thanks for that intel as well.
